APhA Policy Manual

1. APhA supports pharmacists using professional judgment to make informed decisions regarding the appropriateness of use or the sale of complementary and alternative medicines.
2. APhA shall assist pharmacists and student pharmacists in becoming knowledgeable about complementary and alternative medications to facilitate the counseling of patients regarding effectiveness, proper use, indications, safety, and possible interactions.

1. APhA encourages appropriate public and private partnerships to accept responsibility for the costs of implementing safe medication disposal programs for consumers. Furthermore, APhA urges DEA to permit the safe disposal of controlled substances by consumers or on their behalf.
2. APhA encourages provision of patient-appropriate quantities of medication supplies to minimize unused medications and unnecessary medication disposal.

1. APhA encourages pharmacists and student pharmacists to increase their awareness of health literacy. Health literacy is the degree to which people can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions.
2. APhA encourages pharmacists and student pharmacists to assess patients’ health literacy and then implement appropriate communications and education.
3. APhA encourages the review of all patient information for health literacy appropriateness.

1. APhA acknowledges the following: (a) Patients have the right to be informed participants in decisions related to their personal health care. (b) Pharmacists have a professional obligation to contribute to the education of patients to help achieve optimal drug therapy. (c) Pharmacists should provide drug-related information to their patients (or patients’ agent) by face-to-face oral consultation, supplemented by written or printed material, or any other means or combination of means that is best suited to an individual patient’s needs for specific information.
2. APhA acknowledges that the pharmacist is responsible for initiating pharmacist/patient dialogue and assessing the patient’s ability to comprehend and communicate so as to optimize the patient’s understanding of and compliance with drug therapy.
3. APhA encourages the research and development of ancillary communication aids and techniques to maximize patient understanding of medication and its proper use.

1. APhA recognizes that audits of health care practices, when used appropriately, may improve patient care and deter fraud, waste, and abuse.
2. APhA advocates for the use of standardized and efficient audit procedures with transparent criteria clearly communicated by the payor and readily accessible to providers in advance.
3. APhA advocates that audit processes should result in minimal disruption to practice workflow, minimal financial burden, and no impact on patient care.
4. APhA urges timely notification and scheduling of claims audits to minimize disruption of patient care delivery.
5. APhA supports the inclusion of education as a component of the audit process to improve documentation of services, meet payor requirements, and enhance the quality-of-care delivery.
6. APhA opposes incentive-based auditor compensation and the use of statistical methodologies, such as sample extrapolation, for determining the recoupment of funds from health care providers or health care organizations.
7. APhA advocates that audit reports include complete information listing audit discrepancies and appropriate guidelines for documenting and appealing these findings.
8. APhA advocates that pharmacy audits be performed in a professional manner by a pharmacist or certified pharmacy technician.

1. APhA supports the delivery of informatics education within pharmacy schools and continuing education programs to improve patient care, understand interoperability among systems, understand where to find information, increase productivity, and improve the ability to measure and report the value of pharmacists in the health care system.
2. APhA urges that pharmacists have read/write access to electronic health record data for the purposes of improving patient care and medication use outcomes.
3. APhA encourages inclusion of pharmacists in the definition, development, and implementation of health information technologies for the purpose of improving the quality of patient-centric health care.
4. APhA urges public and private entities to include pharmacist representatives in the creation of standards, the certification of systems, and the integration of medication use systems with health information technology.

1. APhA supports the pharmacist as the most appropriate member of the health care team responsible for reconciling medication use when patients move between practice settings within the continuum of care.
2. APhA supports the development and use, in practice, of a standardized, portable, accessible, HIPAA compliant, and secure electronic health record (EHR) to facilitate continuity of care across all practice settings. The EHR shall include the clinical data elements necessary to support the performance of medication reconciliation.
3. APhA supports patient access to pharmacists with specialized skills and expertise. The patient’s pharmacist should make patient referrals where appropriate.

1. APhA encourages companies that offer multi-component vehicles for compounding to list all ingredients and to restrict claims about the vehicles to the structure and function of the ingredients in those vehicles unless clinical evidence exists to support more specific claims.
2. When claims are made by companies for systemic delivery of active ingredients in multicomponent vehicles, APhA encourages pharmacists to secure bioavailability data in support of such claims.

APhA encourages the development and use of responsible and effective design of pharmacy facilities to allow for convenient, comfortable, and private pharmacist-patient communications.

1. APhA supports programs to monitor the development of emerging technologies and their impact on the delivery of pharmaceutical care.
2. APhA supports education of pharmacists regarding emerging technology including their development and impact on the delivery of pharmaceutical care.
3. APhA supports the inclusion of pharmacists in the development and application of the emerging technologies in the delivery of pharmaceutical care.

1. APhA recognizes that audits of health care practices, when used appropriately, may improve patient care and deter fraud, waste, and abuse.
2. APhA advocates for the use of standardized and efficient audit procedures with transparent criteria clearly communicated by the payor and readily accessible to providers in advance.
3. APhA advocates that audit processes should result in minimal disruption to practice workflow, minimal financial burden, and no impact on patient care.
4. APhA urges timely notification and scheduling of claims audits to minimize disruption of patient care delivery.
5. APhA supports the inclusion of education as a component of the audit process to improve documentation of services, meet payor requirements, and enhance the quality-of-care delivery.
6. APhA opposes incentive-based auditor compensation and the use of statistical methodologies, such as sample extrapolation, for determining the recoupment of funds from health care providers or health care organizations.
7. APhA advocates that audit reports include complete information listing audit discrepancies and appropriate guidelines for documenting and appealing these findings.
8. APhA advocates that pharmacy audits be performed in a professional manner by a pharmacist or certified pharmacy technician.

1. APhA should continue to assist in the unification of the profession and the development of a national strategy by its continued support of the Council on Credentialing in Pharmacy as the body responsible for the leadership, standards, public information and coordination of the professions voluntary credentialing programs.
2. APhA, in conjunction and cooperation with the Council on Credentialing and other national associations, should provide competence-based material and testing via technology, such as the APhA web-site and state association websites, to further the profession’s self-assessment.
3. APhA, in conjunction and cooperation with the Council on Credentialing and other national associations, should develop the necessary products and programs to educate the public, insurers, and health professionals on credentialing and make them available to state associations at cost.
4. APhA supports the development of programs and initiatives that demonstrate the value of pharmacists in improving clinical, economic, and humanistic patient outcomes.

1. APhA recognizes that audits of health care practices, when used appropriately, may improve patient care and deter fraud, waste, and abuse.
2. APhA advocates for the use of standardized and efficient audit procedures with transparent criteria clearly communicated by the payor and readily accessible to providers in advance.
3. APhA advocates that audit processes should result in minimal disruption to practice workflow, minimal financial burden, and no impact on patient care.
4. APhA urges timely notification and scheduling of claims audits to minimize disruption of patient care delivery.
5. APhA supports the inclusion of education as a component of the audit process to improve documentation of services, meet payor requirements, and enhance the quality-of-care delivery.
6. APhA opposes incentive-based auditor compensation and the use of statistical methodologies, such as sample extrapolation, for determining the recoupment of funds from health care providers or health care organizations.
7. APhA advocates that audit reports include complete information listing audit discrepancies and appropriate guidelines for documenting and appealing these findings.
8. APhA advocates that pharmacy audits be performed in a professional manner by a pharmacist or certified pharmacy technician.

1. APhA supports continuing professional development, a self-directed, individualized, systematic approach to life-long learning, to support pharmacist’s efforts to maintain professional competence in their practice.
2. APhA should work with appropriate organizations to provide self-assessment and plan development tools. APhA shall help identify and facilitate access to quality educational programs.
3. Employers should foster and support pharmacist participation in continuing professional development.
4. Continuing professional development is a learning process that requires full participation to achieve desired individual outcomes. To facilitate that participation, each pharmacist controls disclosure of their individual assessments and outcomes.

1. APhA shall facilitate the development, dissemination, and use of an information system that documents the components of comprehensive medication management services.
2. APhA encourages development of quality assurance standards that guarantee the integrity and accuracy of information included in proprietary and non-proprietary information systems.

1. APhA supports the delivery of informatics education within pharmacy schools and continuing education programs to improve patient care, understand interoperability among systems, understand where to find information, increase productivity, and improve the ability to measure and report the value of pharmacists in the health care system.
2. APhA urges that pharmacists have read/write access to electronic health record data for the purposes of improving patient care and medication use outcomes.
3. APhA encourages inclusion of pharmacists in the definition, development, and implementation of health information technologies for the purpose of improving the quality of patient-centric health care.
4. APhA urges public and private entities to include pharmacist representatives in the creation of standards, the certification of systems, and the integration of medication use systems with health information technology.

1. APhA encourages development of systems that document review of patient therapy, the type and intensity of services provided, and the result or outcome of the services.
2. APhA believes that systems of payment and documentation must be compatible with contemporary computer systems used by providers and payers and should emphasize administrative efficiency.

1. APhA recognizes that effective drug utilization review (prospective, concurrent, retrospective), as a component of pharmaceutical care, depends upon complete and accurate patient information.
2. APhA advocates eliminating the economic and operational obstacles pharmacists encounter when conducting drug utilization review for optimal patient care.
3. APhA supports utilization of universal and comprehensive standards for On-line Realtime Drug Utilization Review (ORDUR).
4. APhA encourages the development of a standardized method of electronic transfer of patient medical data between all health professionals involved in the care of a patient.

1. APhA shall strongly and actively encourage pharmacists to be available for and provide patient consultation, including written drug information, when requested or professionally appropriate.
2. APhA supports patient information programs that include reference to seeking medication information from pharmacists and does not endorse programs which, by ignoring the professional capabilities of pharmacists, may limit the patient’s ability to receive needed drug information and consultation.

1. APhA recognizes that audits of health care practices, when used appropriately, may improve patient care and deter fraud, waste, and abuse.
2. APhA advocates for the use of standardized and efficient audit procedures with transparent criteria clearly communicated by the payor and readily accessible to providers in advance.
3. APhA advocates that audit processes should result in minimal disruption to practice workflow, minimal financial burden, and no impact on patient care.
4. APhA urges timely notification and scheduling of claims audits to minimize disruption of patient care delivery.
5. APhA supports the inclusion of education as a component of the audit process to improve documentation of services, meet payor requirements, and enhance the quality-of-care delivery.
6. APhA opposes incentive-based auditor compensation and the use of statistical methodologies, such as sample extrapolation, for determining the recoupment of funds from health care providers or health care organizations.
7. APhA advocates that audit reports include complete information listing audit discrepancies and appropriate guidelines for documenting and appealing these findings.
8. APhA advocates that pharmacy audits be performed in a professional manner by a pharmacist or certified pharmacy technician.

1. APhA supports comprehensive, catastrophic illness insurance coverage that recognizes the essential need for pharmaceutical products and pharmacist services in all patient care environments, including the home.
2. APhA encourages inclusion of pharmacist services and the most efficient and readily accessible system of drug delivery in any insurance coverage for catastrophic illness that may be enacted.

1. APhA supports establishment of pharmacist consulting services for home care.
2. Medicaid and other third-party programs should recognize the consulting role of the pharmacist in reducing the misuse of drugs and maximizing their therapeutic effectiveness through fair and equitable reimbursement for consulting functions which is not tied to the provision of medications.
3. Medicaid and other third-party programs also should reimburse pharmacists for innovative packaging and services that will maximize adherence, increase the opportunity for drug utilization review, and better meet the informational needs of the patient and the care giver.

APhA supports coverage of FDA-approved drugs and pharmacist services connected with the delivery of such drugs by government and other third-party payers when used rationally for indications other than those specified in the product labeling.

APhA recognizes the fundamental role of biomedical research in the profession of pharmacy and actively supports continued and predictable funding of NIH research.

APhA recognizes the importance of and the need for placebo-controlled trials in testing new drugs. In addition, APhA supports the use of alternative study designs (such as positive controls), as well as innovative methodologies where they appear to be appropriate and useful.

APhA supports modifications of patent periods for prescription drugs and drug products that would create reasonable incentives for needed research on new drugs and drug products.

(Note: Guidelines approved by the APhA Board of Trustees in May, 1997; noted in Appendix.) APhA should adopt and disseminate standards for immunization advocacy and delivery by pharmacists.

1. APhA supports pharmacists using professional judgment to make informed decisions regarding the appropriateness of use or the sale of complementary and alternative medicines.
2. APhA shall assist pharmacists and student pharmacists in becoming knowledgeable about complementary and alternative medications to facilitate the counseling of patients regarding effectiveness, proper use, indications, safety, and possible interactions.

1. APhA supports the demonstration of safety and efficacy of homeopathic products from adequate, well-designed scientific studies before pharmacists advocate or sell homeopathic products.
2. APhA recognizes patient autonomy regarding the use of homeopathic products. Pharmacists should educate patients who choose to use homeopathic products.
3. APhA supports the modification of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require that homeopathic manufacturers provide evidence of efficacy and safety for all products, including products currently in the marketplace.

APhA encourages efforts that would require the listing of all active ingredients of a food promoted as a drug or drug product in written promotional and advertising material.

1. APhA advocates programs which address the public health implications of the misuse and/or abuse of vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements.
2. APhA encourages pharmacists to provide health education regarding unsubstantiated and/or misleading health claims as they apply to vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements.

APhA encourages manufacturers of processed foods to voluntarily reduce the salt (sodium chloride) added to their products and to use the minimum amount of salt necessary in the manufacturing process.

APhA supports requirements for disclosure in the labeling of processed food and the identity and, whenever appropriate, the quantity of ingredients, such as those preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, salts, sugars, and other substances that represent a potential risk to the health or therapy of a portion of the general population.